DAVE BORINS MAKES HIS MOVE: TRAVELING SONGWRITER/ PERFORMER MOVES A BUSY CAREER INTO OVERDRIVE

A year or so ago, Tom Power, the host of CBC Radio 2’s Deep Roots programme said: “I got a feeling you'll be hearing a lot more from Dave Borins in the next couple of years.”

He may be off by a few months, because you ARE going to hear a lot more about a guy who is possibly one of Toronto’s most energetic acoustic soul players and performers. Dave Borins is about to make his move.

He started relatively late, because he wasn’t here a lot of the time. He was traveling: China, Japan, Indonesia, India, Peru, Nepal — and his virtual passport was his guitar. The ability to play, sing and laugh made friends for him wherever he went — and now it’s making friends for him here at home.

He’d learned the very best way to entertain and influence people as canoe guide in the summers of his youth. Here’s a guy who can navigate a river, light a camp fire in the rain, and probably cool out inquisitive or angry bears. After that, wandering around the Himalayas, or exploring ancient Inca trails is easy.

But it does mean you’re behind the eight ball when you decide to make music your life.

In Dave Borins’ case, it didn’t take long to catch up.

In 2007, with a few gigs behind him, he released his debut independent album, Songs of Sense and Colour, and by the time 2008 was done, it had earned him two nominations at the Toronto Independent Music Awards and a showcase spot at North By Northeast. The performance opportunities were rolling in; House concerts, festivals, pubs and coffee shops.

In January last year, he played his 100th show, a performance at Toronto’s most prestigious acoustic music venue Hugh’s Room. He sold it out to the rafters, and it helped raise the money to make a new EP, The Lucky Ones! — which, in turn, spawned no less than three tours, touching almost every part of Canada. As one arts magazine writer put it: “His voice is the kind you could lean against and trust to lead you home on a long walk from the pub in the night.”

Now, Dave Borins is about to make his move. He has also become a significant part of the acoustic music community based in Toronto; he happily performs with other artists, and he actively cultivates relationships with talented contemporaries.

He has strong new songs, road tested across the country and informed by his world travels and the northern lights seen from the woods in Algonquin Park. He has learned impressive performance skills. He has made influential friends, as well as thousands of fans.

So far this year, 2010 has been kind to him. In February he traveled to Memphis and Nashville. In March he played seven shows in eight days in St John’s, Newfoundland in the week surrounding St Patrick's Day. In April he performed twice at Lee's Palace and once at The Horseshoe Tavern, two of Toronto's most sought after venues.

There’s a NXNE showcase, a tour in Alberta, and a performance at the Mariposa Folk Festival's 50th anniversary event. In the late summer he'll visit Boston to attend a songwriting workshop at the renowned Berklee School of Music, then there’s a handful of shows in New York.

There’s more: On October 20 and 21, the singer and his band go back to Hugh's Room to record a live album of original new music. George Massenberg, the Grammy winning producer/engineer best remembered for his work with Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat and James Taylor will record the shows. With Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Obijou, Wooden Sky) signed on as the producer, this album will be a sonic leap forward. On top of it all, these performances will be the centerpiece of a documentary currently in production about the Canadian independent music industry — seen through the eyes of an emerging artist.

Much better a little late than never, Dave Borins is about to make his move.



..